Spring construction.



W. B. SMITH.

SPRING CONSTRUCTION.

- APPLIOATION FILED DEC. 30,' 1911.

L1 @9 36? v Patented Feb. 23, 1915.

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SPRING CONSTRUCTION. APPLICATION IILED 10150.30, 1911.

Patented Feb. 23, 191.

W. B. SMITH.

SPRING CONSTRUCTION.

APPLICATION FILED 1030.30, 1911.

Patented Feb. 23, 1915.

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IN VEN TOR ran snares. WENT warsonn. swim, or JACKSON, MICHIGAN, sssronon. 'ro .iacxson cusnron srnma COMPANY, or JacKsoN, MICHIGAN.

SPRING CONSTRUCTION.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Feb. 23,19f5.

Application filed December 30, 1911. Serial No. 668,720.

To all-whom it may concern Be itknown that I, WA'rsoN B. SMITH, citizen of the United States, residin at Jackson, in the county of Jackson and tate of Michigan, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Spring Constructions, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to spring structures.

One object is to provide a spring structure embodying among other characteristics means whereby when the structure is upholstered there will be formed at the upper front edge thereof a roll with a minimum amount of hair andupholstering material and which will produce not only an attractive front but provide'a soft pliable upper front edgein contradistinction to the usual stiff edge. and common square facing eflect. Another object resides in the provision of a spring structure whose front row of springs is preferably higher than the remaining springs and which has cooperating with the front row of springs means to prevent a complete compression of the front row of springs and also providing for a ready formation of a pliable roll edge across the front at the top thereof with a minimum amount of hair and upholstering material. I t

A still further object is to provide a durabl'e, eficient and pliable spring structure for car, automobile or other,seats, which is so formed that it tends to throw the rider of the seat backward rather than forward in the event of a sudden jar to the vehicle.

With the above and other objects in view, the invention consists in the construction and novel combination of parts hereinafter more fully described, illustrated in the accompanying drawings, and pointed out in the claims hereto appended; it being understood that various changes in the form, proportion size and minor details, may be resorted to without departing from the spirit or sacrificingany of the advantages of the invention.

employed to secure certain of the main springs to the outer frame. Fig. 6 is a detail perspective view of another form of clip used particularly for connecting the springs to the lower frame. Fig. 7 is-a detail perspective View of one of the clips for uniting. the upper convolutions of the spring with the band auxiliary spring. Fig. 8 is a side elevation of a modified form of the invention. Fig. 9 is a front view thereof.

, lnthe'embodiment of the invention illustrated in the accompanying drawings, the reference characters 10 and 11 indicate upper and lower frames, preferably in the form of what are known as border edge wires. The upper frame is arranged preferably upon an incline so that its front is spaced farther from the front of the lower at the rear of the structure. Springs 12 are arranged between the upper and lower frames, the transverse rows of springs gradually decreasing in height from the front to the rear of the structure to provide for the aforesaid normal incline of the top frame. These springs 12 may be supported between the frames in any suitable manner, one means being to provide supporting wires 13 for the support of the innermost springs, and the wires 15 for cooperation with the sides of the lower frame for the support of the side rows of springs. The character of these supporting wires is immaterial, as any suitable supporting means may be employed,

but in the construction and arrangement In the drawings iFigure 1 is a top plan illustrated in the accompanying drawings, the springs have their lower convolutions secured firmly to the lower edge wire and also to the supporting wires 13-15 by suitable clips l l whos'e ends are provided with fingers adapted to embrace the correspond ing edge and support-ingwires and spring. These clips 14 being elongated, and arranged as just stated, prevent the upper or intermediate convolutions or springs, when under pressure, from being forced beneath the lower convolutions of the springs.

The border springs at the rear of the structure may be connected to the upper edge wire by means of suitable clips 16 while each of the springs has opposite sides of its upper convolution connected by a suitable clip 14;, similar in form to the clip 14 here.-

inbefore described. The lower ends of the front and rear rows of springs may be connected to the lower edge wire by means of.

suitable clips 15. Yieldable bands 17 are adapted to extend in spaced relationfrom the rear of the structure toand over-the front thereof. These yieldable bands are preferably connected to rows of. alined springs at the tops thereof. One means for connecting these bands to the springs is to rivet the same at their points of intersection with the'clips 14 at the tops of the springs. The forward ends of the bands extend over the front of the'upper frame, as stated, with their projecting ends curved downwardly, 5 as" at 17, and directed inwardly, as at 18,

. with their inturned ends secured in any suitable manner to the clips 19 provided with tongues 20 for connection with an intermediate coil of the springs at the front of the 20 structure. By providing a rounded projecting surface at the front of the upper portion of the structure, I give it 'a pleasing appearance when upholstered and the rounded projection formed by the forward ends of the bands 17 provides means whereby when the structure is upholstered there may be formed at the upper front edge thereof a pliable roll with a minimum amount of hair and upholstering material,

with the pliable roll, movable toward and away from the lower frame under the gveight of the rider. This pliable roll at the upper a front edge of the structure obviates the usual sti upper edge thereof and also the 85 usual common square facing effect at the front of the structure, -moreov er by thus forming the forward ends of said yieldable bands I provide auxiliary spring elements, each consisting of the-parts'*1718; to reto inforcethe frontrow of main springs in' e event of--unusual-'weight=-being brought to bear uponthe structure at the frontthereof without destroying the. effect of the pliable roll at the upper frontedge of the structure. For instance, when an automobile =or-other vehicle strikes sin-obstaclein the roadway, "the occupant of the seat-is =mo're or less "joltedand, as the tendency of the jolt is to throvv'theoccupant to the front of the seat, Lreinforce the front of the structure to "retake-such extra weight as may be brought '"to bear thercuponinthe event of sudden movement of the rider toward-the front of theseat. This arrangement cooperates -with the inclined'upper' surface of the structure to seat-the rider normally-toward the "rear of ,the structure. v

By having the upper frame inclined downward in a rearward direction, and the 30 springs 12;.g'radual1y decreasing in height toward the rear of the structure, the same is "thicker at the front than vat the rear so "as-tot prevent the rider from sliding, forward on: or off the seat inthe-event of jarring or $5 from any other cause. The rounded padcomplishing the result of providing a comindicated at 24.- In this modified form the are the same in form and arrangement as in disposed upon an incline, springs arranged between said frames, the springs being of ont clined top and the auxiliary spring elements formed at the ends of said bands '17 in ac- ;fortable seat for the rider and to prevent a tendency of the rider sliding toward the front ofthe seat.

In Figs. 8 and 9, wherein there is shown a modification of the invention, the upper bor der frame 10 near its front edge on o posite sides is directed downwardly as mdicated at 22 and then directed forwardly as at 23 with the front edge of the upper border frame directed across the structure as front row of springs preferably consists of superimposed double cone springs 25, fastened together in any suitable manner, but preferably by suitable clips 26 having tongues 27 for engagement with the corre sponding convolutlons of the superimposed springs to firmly secure them together. The yieldable bands 17 in this modified form the other form of the invention, the parts 18' thereof passing under the front edge 24 of the upper frame and being riveted or otherwise secured to the corresponding clips :26 after the manner shown in Fig. 2. It is preferred in the modification to secure the front row of springs to the front edge 24 of the upper frame by means of suitable clips 28. In this modified form the same characteristics are manifest, as in'the pre, ferred form of the invention. -WlX1tisclaimedis:-

1. spring .structure comprisin' upper and lower flames, the upper frarrfiaibeim gradually decreasing height from the to the rearof the structure, bands connected to the upper. convolutions. of the springs and arranged in parallelism with their-forward ends projecting beyond the forward edge of the upper frame and having their extremitiesof their projecting ends directed inwardly, and means for connecting said rearwardly directed extremities of the forward ends of the bands to the front. row of springs intermediate the ends of the latter.

- 2. A spring structure comprising upper and lower frames, springs arranged between the frames, and yieldable bands connected to the tops of the springs and at one end extending'over the front of the upper'frame -with their forward extremities connected to the front row of springs between the upper andlowerframes.-

a 3. A spring structure comprising upper and lower frames, springs supported .tween the frames, bands connecting the tops of the springs and at one end projecting beyond the upper frame and having their projecti'ng ends connected to the front row of springs intermediate the ends of the latter to reinforce the front row of springs.

4. A spring structure comprising upper and lower frames, main springs mounted between the frames, a plurality of yieldable bands connected to the tops of the springs with each band having one end projecting beyond the front of the upper frame and connected to the front row of springs between the upper and lower frames to provide a projection at the front of the structure at the upper portion thereof and also to reinforce the front row of springs to sustain extra weight on the front row of springs.

5. A spring structure comprising upper and lower frames, rows of springs between the frames, and means overhanging the front of the structure to provide a rounded projection at the upper portion only thereof and having connection with the front row of springs intermediate the upper andglower frames to reinforce the latter.

6. A spring structure comprising upper and lower frames, springs arranged between the frames, yieldable bands connected to the tops of the springs and having their ends formed to provide spring elements having connection with the front row of springs between the upper and'lower frames to reinthe structure and overhanging the structure and projecting beyond the frame and ter- .minating above said frame and bent to form a plurality of outwardly extending rounded projections at the upper portion only of yieldable elements connected to the top' of the structure so as to provide a pronounced overhanging pliable hollow roll adapted to be used with a minimum amount of up- I holstering material located at the upper edge only of the structure.

8. A spring structure comprising upper and lower frames, springs supported between the frames, and bands connected to the tops of the springs with the bands at the forward end of the structure directed beyond the front of the upper frame and directed inwardly between convolutions of the front row of springs, and means to secure said ends of the bands to convolutions of the front row of springs. In testimony whereof I aflix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

v WATSON B. SMITH. Witnesses:

ERNEST I. MOCUEN, JEANNETTE P. WENGER. I 

